VF500 collector box woes

Had to beat the living sh1t out of the collector to get if off. Also Had to take the swing arm off to get heat to it. I suspected it was a bit rusty so I wanted to paint it. However it's worse than I thought.

Anyone see one fail before from the inside out which is what seems to have happened to mine?

All the ports are OK so I should be able to get it welded up. The bike it came off is in fantastic condition and I think this is because it sat in someones garage for years, and they turned it over regularly, but never actually got it hot enough to drive off the condensation in the collector. Not sure why it only rotted through in those two spots tho. The rest of it sounds pretty solid but it could be bad elsewhere. I hope not.

 

Perhaps you could source a used collector box in better condition? I've seen these come up on eBay (here in the States) in decent shape for a reasonable price. Hard to say how must rust you will have to cut out on this one.

Good luck and keep us posted.

 

No big deal. Just weld or braze on a couple of patches. You could probably use JB Weld to cement some on. Heat won't bother JB.

 

I got another one from the US on Ebay. Cost and arm and a leg in postage but it's arrived and is in decent condition. You must have significantly better weather than we do. I see now where my original one has rusted through is actually close to two spot welds. I suspect there is a crevice on the inside which has held condensation, hence the rust through.

To the sandblaster I go. Going to blast the collectors and the down pipes and then spray with BBQ paint. I'll get the holed collector braze repaired as a spare.

 

Good deal, glad this worked out.

For ref, here is what the inside of the box looks like: